Snubbed truck



Oct. 25, 1949. o. M. LIGHT SNUBBED TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31,1945 6 41.11 6 2 6 6 6 2 5 w w m llllllll ll l i IF I TIF FIfiI w i m lI- .FIIMI. O 6 Jam 7 3 1 11 INVENTOR.

Oct. 25, 1949.

D. M. LIGHT SNUBBED TRUCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1945 Oct. 25,1949. Y D, |GHT 2,485,971

SNUBBED TRUCK Filed Jan. 31, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 120 126 I i 112 d 11029 W K K/Z 4 44 w 116 4, 126 2 .10

C Z INVENTOR. I 1

Patented a 25, 1949,

SNUBBED TRUCK David M. Light, Chicago, Ill, assignor a American SteelFoundriee, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationJanuary 31, 1945, Serial No. 575,388

18 Claims. (Ch 105-197) My invention relates to railway car trucks andmore particularly to such trucks incorporating friction absorbing meansfor dampening oscillations of the spring-supported truck bolster.

An object of my invention is to design a truck as above describedcomprising friction means associated with the bolster and side framecolumns for insuring substantially uniform constantfricbolster-supporting spring group are effectively snubbed duringoperation of the truck.

Another object of my invention is to design a railway car truck such asdescribed wherein friction shoes may be housed in each side of thebolster, each shoe being in frictional engagement with a frictionsurface on an adjacent side frame column and in slidable engagement witha surface in said pocket and having resilient means associated therewithfor urging the same, against said surfaces; Y

My invention comprehends a friction shoe of novel form, said shoe beingof cuplike form for housing associated resilient means and having ahorizontal wedge surface on one wall thereof and a friction face on awall at one end thereof and spaced lugs having aligned openings at theother end thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway car truckembodying my invention, the view being shown partly in section in ordermore clearly to illustrate the arrangement of the friction parts, saidsection being taken in the longitudinal plane bisecting the truckindicated by the line l-l of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the car truck shown in Figure1, partly in section, the view being taken approximately in the planesindicated by line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, taken from the left andlooking into the shoe pocket of the bolster shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figures 4 to 6, inclusive, show in detail my novel friction shoe, Figure4 being a top plan view thereof, Figure 5 being a rear elevation takenfrom the right as seen in Figure 4, and Figure 6 being a side elevationtaken from the bottom as seen in Figure 4;

Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, show a modification of my invention, Figure7 being a fra mentary top plan view of the bolster, Figure 8 being afragmentary sectional view of the bolster taken in the transversevertical plane bisecting the bolster as indicated by the line 0-8 ofFigure '7, Figure 9 .being a sectional view taken on the line tiontherebetween whereby the oscillations of the 2 99 of Figure 7, andFigure 10 being a sectional view taken on the line Ill-l0 of Figure '1;

Figures 11 and 12 illustrate another modifica tion of my invention,Figure 11 being a fragmentary top plan view of the bolster and Figure 12being a sectional view taken in the transverse vertical plane bisectingthe bolster as indicated by the line i2-l2 of Figure 11.

Describing my invention in detail and referring first to themodification shown in Figures 1 to 6,

inclusive, the truck comprises a side frame of conventional typecomprising the tension and compression members 2 and 4 and a column 8merging therewith to define a bolster opening I! with a widened upperportion indicated at II. A plurality of springs, diagrammaticallyindicated at l3, l3, are seated on' the tension member 2 in thecustomary manner and afford support for a bolster generally designatedll.

'I'he bolster structure, 'as may be clearly seen from a consideration ofFigures 1 to 3, inclusive. comprises the bolster of box section havingthe top and bottom walls I and i8 merging at each side of the bolsterwith a side wall 20 and formed with inboard and outboard interlockinggibs 22' and 24 for cooperation with the column 8 to afford an interlockbetween the side frame and bolster. It will be readily understood by acomparison of Figures 1 and 3 that the outboard gib 24 is of less depththan the widened upper portion I! of the bolster opening so that thebolster may be elevated therein and removed therefrom during a quickwheel change as hereinafter more fully described.

At each side thereof the bolster is formed with a friction shoe pocket26 comprising the inboard and outboard walls 28 and 30 and the rearwall. 32, said walls merging with the top and bottom bolster walls I 8and i8 to define said pocket. Within each pocket 26 may be mounted afriction shoe in engagement with the horizontal V-shaped wedge surface3| of thetop wall It as indicated I at 36 in Figure l.

The friction shoe, generally designated 38, .is illustrated in detail inFigures 4 to 6 wherein it will be seen that the shoe is a casting ofgenerally cuplike structure comprising the front wall 40,

the top wall 42 and the spaced side walls 44, It,

said front wall 40 having a vertical friction face 48 in frictionalengagement as at 50 with a wear plate 52 mounted in any convenientmanner as by welding 0n the adjacent column 8, and said top wall beingformed with the horizontally disposed angularly arranged surfaces 5| and5G inengagement as aforesaid with the v-shaped wedge surface 34 on thetop wall It of the bolster pocket.

Referring now to Figure 1, within each friction shoe 36 may be housed aresilient rubber block 68 under com ression between the walls thereofand the bolster bottom and rear walls I 8 and 32, said block havingsecured thereto, as by vulcanizing, a spring seat member or plate 60 inabutment with the front wall 40 of said shoe and slidably enga ing thebolster bottom wall I6, said plate being in spaced relation to the sidewalls 44. 40 of said shoe and movable with said shoe laterally of saidbolster. It will be apparent that the resiliencv of the rubber block 68will provide a direct force path between the bottom bolster wall I8 andthe top wall 02 of the shoe whereby the latter will be constantly urgedupwardly and maintained at all times in engagement with the wed esurface 34 on the bolster top wall I6 and, at the same time, a directforce path will be afforded between the rear wall 32 of the pocket andthe front wall 40 ofthe shoe whereby said shoe will be constantly urgedalong the wedge surface 34 toward the adjacent column 6 while the springplate in abutment with the shoe will move along the bottom wall I8 ofthe bolster pocket toward the adjacent column 8, with the result thatthe shoe will be maintained in constant and uniform frictionalengagement with the wear plate 52 on the adjacent column 8. It may benoted from a consideration of Figure 1 that the block 58 is formedsubstantially round in contour so that some clearance will be affordedas at 6| for the distortable rubber block under conditions of maximumdistortion or flow of the resilient material during compression of thesame during inward movement of the associated shoe as the bolster movestoward the adjacent column.

As shown in Figure 1, the wedge surface 34 of I the bolster top wall thebolster top wall I6, in engagement with the top wall 42 of the shoe, isslightly crowned to permit a rocking movement of the shoe thereon inorder to accommodate some tilting movement of the side frame withrespect to the bolster while maintaining the friction wall 40 of theshoe in full face engagement with the wear plate 52 of the adjacentcolumn. It may be noted that the engagement of the horizontally disposedV- shaped wedge surfaces on the bolster and shoe top walls I6 and 42,respectively, will effectively restrict lateral movement of the shoe inthe pocket 26.

The bolster may be readily assembled or disassembled from the associatedside frames for quick wheel change purposes and, for-this purpose, theshoe 38 is formed with the side walls 44, 44 projecting rearwardlythereof and affording spaced parallel lugs 62 and 64 extending throughopenings 66 in the rear wall 32 of the pocket, said lugs having alignedopenings 68 therein toaccommodate the reception of an associated toolengaging the rear-wall of the pocket whereby said shoes may be withdrawnfrom engagement with the wear plate 52 and, in the disassembly of thetruck, the bolster may be elevated in the bolster opening I0 and removedfrom the widened upper portion I2 thereof while the supporting coilsprings I3, I3 remain in normal assembled relationship with the sideframe.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, the sideframe (not shown) is adapted to have associated therewith a bolstersubstantially the same as that of the modification previously describedand comprising the top and bottom walls I02 and I04 merging at each sideof the bolster with a side wall I06, and a pocket I08 is formed in eachside of the bolster, each of said pockets being defined by said top andbottom walls I02 and I04, inboard and outboard walls III) and H2 and therear wall Ill, the rear wall of each pocket being spaced from said topwall for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

As in the previous modification, the bolster top wall I 02 is formedwith a V-shaped wedge surface II6 in complementary engagement with thetop wall IIB of the friction shoe generally designated I20, said surfaceII6 being crowned similarly to that of the previous modification for asimilar purpose. The shoe I20 has substantially the general form of theprevious modification with the top wall II8 thereof maintained inengagement with the surface II6 by means of a flat horizontally disposedrigid member or bar I22 extending transversely of the bolster betweenI02 and the rear walls I ll of the pockets at opposite sides of thebolster and urged into engagement at each end thereof with the top wallIIO of the shoe in each pocket by a vertically disposed coil spring I24disposed between said rear walls H4 and compressed between the centralportion of said bar I22 and the bottom wall I04 of the bolster. The barI22 is formed with the lntumed flanges I26 for confining the spring I 24therebetween as may be clearly seen in Figure 9.

The friction shoe in each pocket also comprises the front wall I28having frictional engagement with an adjacent column wear plate (notshown) under the force applied thereto by the horizontally disposed coilspring I 30 received between the spaced side walls I32, I32 of the shoeand compressed between the rear wall Ill of the associated pocket andthe front wall I28 of the shoe.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the coilspring I24, through the force applied by the same to the bar I 22, willcause the bar to urge the top wall of the shoe in each pocket intowedgeengagement with the ad- -jacent wedge surface H6 and maintain the shoein said engagement during movement of each shoe along said bolster topwall and outwardly of the bolster by the spring I30 whereby the frictionshoe in each pocket will be maintained in substantially constantfrictional engagement with the adjacent column.

As in the previous modification, each shoe is formed with the side wallsI32, I32 extending rearwardly thereof to aflford lugs I 34, I 34 passingthrough openings in the rear wall of the associated pocket, said lugshaving aligned openings I36, I36 for receiving a tool having engagementwith the rear wall of the pocket whereby said shoe may be withdrawn intothe associated pocket during assembly or disassembly of the bolster withthe associated side frames.

Another modification of my invention is shown in Figures 11 and 12 andthe side frame (not shown) is adapted to have associated therewith abolster substantially identical with the bolster in the modificationshown in Figures 1 to 8, said bolster comprising the top and bottomwalls 202 and 204. A pocket 206 is formed ineach side of the bolster andcomprises the top and bottom walls 202 and 204, the inboard and outboardwalls H0 and 2I2 and the rear wall 2I4, said pocket housing a frictionshoe generally designated 2l6.

The friction shoe 2" is substantially similar to that described in theprevious modificat on and comprises the top wall 2|. seated against thetop wall 2" of the bolster as ind cated at 222 and maintained in engaement therewith by an expansible spring plate 222 of substantiallyC-section' housed within said shoe and under compression between the topwall 2|. of the shoe and the bottom wall 204 of the bolster.v

The shoe also comprises the sidewalls 224 receiving said spring plate222 therebetween and the front wall 220 having a friction surface 228 onone side thereof for frictional engagement with an ad acent colmnn wearplate (not shown) said wall 220 having the opposite side thereof formedwith a recess 2 receiving an arcuately formed portion 232 of the springplate 222 for positioning said spring plate on said wall and spacing thevertical portions of the spring plate on opposite sides thereoftherefrom to materially increase the resistance to compression of thesame whereby said plate will maintain the associated shoe in engagementwiththe top wall of the pocket during movement of the shoe laterally ofsaid bolster.

Received between the spaced legs 2" and 238 of the spring plate 222 is ahorizontally disposed coil spring 24' seated at one end thereof a ainstthe vertical portions of the spring plate 222 and at the other endthereof against the rear wall 2 of said pocket. said rear wall having 8.lu 242 positioning said spring thereagainst. It will be apparent thatthe spring 240- will urge the shoe and the plate outwardly of the pocketby the force applied thereto by said spring, the

' leg 2" of the-spring plate 222 moving with said shoe during movementof the latter along the engaged surface of the top wall 202, and the leg238 sliding along the engaged surface of the bottom wall 204 during saidoutward movement of said shoe.

Referring now to Figure 12, it will be noted that the top and bottomwalls 202 and 204 of each pocket are provided with opposed crownedsurfaces 244 and 246 engaged with the plane surfaces 24! and 250 on thetop wall 2" of the associated shoe and the leg 238 of the associatedspring plate 222, respectively, whereby said shoe and spring plate mayrock on said surfaces 244 and 246 to accommodate some tilting movementof the bolster with respect to the side frame while maintaining thefriction surface 228 of the front wall 226 in full bearing against anadjacent column (not shown).

As in the previous modifications, each shoe is provided with spaced lugs252 projecting outwardly from the side walls 224 thereof and extendingthrough slots in the rear wall 2" of the associated pocket, said lugshaving aligned openings 254 for reception of a suitable tool bearingagainst said rear wall 2 for urging the shoe into said pocket duringassembly and disassembly of the bolster with the associated side frames.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exactembodiments of the device shown which are merely by way of iilus-'tration and not limitation as various and other forms of the devicewill, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolstersupported on said frame 6 with pockets adjacent columns, a friction shoein each pocket having a substantially horizontal wedge surface inengagement with a complementary surface in said pocket, a substantiallyrigid member extending transversely of said bolster and havingengagement with the shoe in each pocket, resilient means between saidpockets and operatively engaging said member for urging the same withthe associated shoes in a vertical direction, and resilient means housedin each shoe and compressed between a wall thereof and a spaced wall ofsaid bolster for urging said shoe along the wedge surface of said pocketand against the adjacent column.

2. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns definingin part a bolster opening, a bolster supported on said frame betweensaid columns, a pocket in each side of said bolster comprising ahorizontal wall having diagonally arranged faces presenting a wedgesurface, a hollow friction shoe in each pocket, each of said shoeshaving a horizontal wall and a vertical wall, and resilient meansoperatively associated with the inner faces'of said walls of each shoeand reacting against said bolster for simultaneously urging said shoevertically into engagement with said surface and laterally of saidbolster into engagement with a friction surface on the adjacent column.

3. In a railway car truck, a side frame havin spaced columns defining inpart a bolster opening, a bolster supported on said frame between saidcolumns, a pocket in each side of said boister, a friction shoe in eachpocket comprising a horizontal wall and a vertical wall in complementaryengagement respectively with a substantially V-shaped wedge surfaceonsaid pocket and a friction surface on an adjacent column. and resilientmeans operatively associated with each of said walls for urging saidshoes against said surfaces.

4. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columnsdefining in part a bolster opening, a bolster supported on said frame insaid opening, a pocket in each side of said bolster comprising spacedsubstantially horizontal walls and a wall projecting therebetween, asingle member in each pocket comprising a friction shoe in slidableengagement with one of said horizontal walls and in frictionalengagement with an adjacent column, and resilient means compressedbetween saidshoe and said other walls.

5. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columnsdefining in part a bolster opening, a bolster supported on said frame insaid opening, a pocket in each side of said bolster comprising spacedsubstantially horizontal walls and an angularly related walltherebetween, a

friction shoe in each pocket in engagement with one of said horizontalwalls and an adjacent column, and resilient means exerting vertical andhorizontal forces, said vertical forces acting between said shoe and theother of said horizontal walls and operatively urging said shoe intosaid engagement, said horizontal forces acting between said shoe andsaid angularly related wall and urging said shoe outwardly of saidbolster and into frictional engagement with an adjacent column.

6. In a railway car truck, a side frame having a column with a frictionsurface, a bolster supported on said frame and having a pocket adjacentsaid surface, a friction shoe in said pocket and having engagement witha wall of said pocket and said friction surface, and a plurality .ofre-- silient means housed in said shoe, one of said resilient meansurging said shoe into engagement with said pocket wall and the other ofsaid resilient means urging said shoe against said surface.

7. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolstersupported on said frame with pockets adjacent said columns, a wedgesurface in each pocket, a friction shoe having angularly arranged wallsbearing respectively against said surface and against the adjacentcolumn, and resilient means housed in said bolster and simultaneouslyexerting forces substantially perpendicular to each other andoperatively associated with each of said' walls for urging said shoeinto engagement with and along said surface.

8. In a railway car truck, a spaced columns with friction surfaces, abolster supported on said frame and having at least one pocket adjacentone of said surfaces, said pocket being partially defined by a top wall,a friction shoe in said pocket in engagement with said top wall and anadjacent friction surface, and resilient means housed within said shoeand bearing against said shoe and angularly arranged walls in saidpocket.

9. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns definingin part a bolster opening, a bolster supported on said frame in saidopening, a pocket in each side of said bolster, a friction shoe in eachpocket in engagement with a wedge surface in said pocket and a frictionsurface on the adjacent column, and resilient means housed in said shoeand compressed between said shoe and angularly arranged walls of saidpocket.

10. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns, abolster supported on said frame between said columns, a pocket in atleast one side of said bolster, a single member in said pocketcomprising a friction shoe in wedge engagement with a substantiallyhorizontal wall thereof and in frictional engagement with a frictionsurface on an adjacent column, and a resilient member associated withsaid shoe and simultaneously exerting forces substantially perpendicularto each other and operative to urge said shoe in a vertical and ahorizontal direction.

11. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising a column member, arelatively movable member supported column member, a pocket in one ofsaid members housing friction means for engagement with the other-ofsaid members, said friction means comprising a wedge surface in saidpocket, a friction shoe in engagement with said surface, and a resilientmember vertically and horizontally compressed between angularly arrangedwalls of said shoe and said pocket.

side frame having on said frame adjacent saidi 12. In a railway cartruck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster supported on saidframe between said columns and a pocket in each side of said bolster,friction shoes in each pocket in wedge engagement with a wall thereofand in frictional engagement with an adjacent column, and a plurality ofresilient means housed in each shoe and respectively compressed betweensaid shoe and angularly arranged walls of said bolster.

13. In a friction shoe for a railway car truck, a member comprising ahorizontal wall having a wedge surface on one side thereof, a verticalwall having a friction surface on one side thereof, a spring seat on theopposite side of each wall, spaced parallel walls merging with saidhorizon- 8 tal and vertical walls, and lugs integral with said parallelwalls and having aligned openings therein.

14. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns definingin part a bolster opening, a bolster supported from said frame in saidopening, a pocket in each side of said bolster comprising horizontal topand bottom walls, said top wall having angularly arranged facesdiverging toward said bottom wall and affording a wedge surface, afriction shoe in each pocket in engagement with said surface and havinga wall engaging a friction surface of the adjacent column, and resilientmeans housed within said bolster and associated with each shoe andoperative to urge said shoe upwardly and laterally of said bolster, saidfaces being crowned to permit movement of said shoes with said columnsupon vertical angling of said frame relative to said bolster.

15. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns definingin part a bolster opening, a bolster supported from said frame in saidopening, said bolster comprising top and bottom walls and vertical wallstherebetween defining a pocket in each side of said bolster, diagonalfaces on the top wall forming a wedge surface in each pocket, a frictionshoe in each pocket in engagement with said surface, and resilient meansassociated with each shoe and exerting independent forces substantiallyperpendicular to each other, said forces reacting against said verticalwalls and said bottom wall for urging said shoes upwardly intoengagement with said surfaces and laterally of said bolster intoengagement with friction surfaces on said columns.

16. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns definingin part a bolster opening, a bolster supported from said frame in saidopening and comprising spaced horizontal walls and substantiallyvertical walls therebetween and defining a pocket in each side of saidbolster, one of said horizontal walls providing a wedge surface in eachpocket, a friction shoe in each pocket in engagementwith said surface,and resilient means operatively associated with each shoe and reactingagainst said vertical walls and other of said horizontal walls for urginsaid shoes into engagement with said surfaces and laterally of saidbolster into engagement with friction surfaces on said columns, saidresilient means being operative to move said shoes laterally of saidbolster and simultaneously maintaining said engagement between saidshoes and surfaces.

17. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns partlydefining a bolster opening, a bolster end spring-supported on said framein said opening, and friction means mounted in the end of said bolsterfor engagement with said columns, said friction means comprisingfriction shoes pocketed in said bolster end and in slidable engagementwith a wall thereof, a resilient member operable to urge both of saidshoes into engagement with said bolster wall, and resilient meanscompressed between'said shoes and operative to urge the same intoengagement with the adjacent columns.

18. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced column partlydefining a bolster opening, friction surfaces on said columns extendingtransversely 'of said frame, a bolster .springsupported on said frame insaid opening and having pockets adjacent respective columns, frictionshoes in said pockets, and a plurality of resilient means associatedwith said shoes, one of said re- REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent: 10

UNITED STATES PATENTS silient means slidably supporting said shoes andother of said resilient means being associated gggg gf Oct 13 with saidshoes for urging them into engagement 1 130665 Bullock 1915 with theadjacent surfaces. 5 2118o06 Couch 7"" 1938 DAVID M. LIGHT.

2,257,109 Davidson Sept. 30, 1941

